Airplane



Feb. 19, 1929. 1,702,306

` R. v. MoRsE AIRPLAE Filed D60. 5, 1927 IN V EN TOR.

mam! Feb. 19, 1929. i UNITED s'rAv'rEs mama.

Application nie: December 8, m7. sensi-ym. 281,481.

This invention relates to airplanes and is inV general directcd toward. making them safer, faster, and more Practical for general use than has heretofore been the case. One object of the invention is to increase the speed by reducing the head resistance 'to the passageof the airplane thru the air.. Another object is to increase the Safety-and reliabihty of the airplane by using more than one motor, and making them readily accesslble for inspection during fli ht. Another object is to' tle avail to use multiple motors if one also multiplies the head resistance; or to use multiple motors for reliability if they are not accessible; or to have them accessible if the arrangement creates such power losses to the propellers that the machine will not fly satisfactorily. The primary object, therefore, of the present invention is to obtain the combination which will produce for each of the objects the maximum accomplishment consistant with a similar degree of accoinplishment of the various other objects, so as to produce the airplane which as a whole will be most effective. This primary obJect may be stated as an attempt to arrive at the combination which will give the maximum amount of owerwith a minimum of air resistance, wit out sacrificing accessibility during flight or impairing the handling qualities of the airlane. 's y p Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of an airplane' illustrating the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same and Fig. 3 is a Vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line A-A of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows. Similar referencev numerals refer to similar parts thruout the various views.

The invention is illustrated in connection with a monoplane, but is equally applicable to a biplane or triplane, or to an airplanewith win in tandem, as will be described; The airp ane has an enclosed fuselage or body 1 the usual Vertical. and horizontal rudders and control surfaces. The forward end 3 'of the body is preferably covered largely with 'transparent material so that the pilot may have clear vision thruout a. widevangle.

-The wings 5 5are attached to the'body 1 about half way between the top of the body 6 and the bottom of the body 7 for reasons that will appear. The wings 5-5 are preferably wholly or largely of the thick-wing, internally braced type, though external braces may be usedflif desired. These wings usually involve a strong I beam or equally rigid structure which may be utilized to support the bearingsof the propeller gearing, as Awill be described. 'The wings 5--5 have-- ailerons 5'-5' operated by controls in the usual manner.

Mounted in the body 1 of the airplane are two motors 9-9, separated by a corridor 10 which runs lengthwise between them thru the body of the airplane and connects the pilotls quarters' in the nose 3 of-the airplane with the passenger or load carrying portion of theI body 11 to the rear of the motors. This assage or engine room 10 is also shown in 3 betweenthe motors 9- 9.

The motors 9-9 are of the radial or star type, having a large number of c linders ex- `tendin invai'ious directions an lying substantia y in one or two parallel planes, so

that they have short cranks'hafts and the diameter of the motor as a whole is much greater than its length. These motors are placed edgewisein the hull or body 1, so that their planes are -substantially parallel to the direction of motion of the airplane; in other words the motors 9-9 are positioned so as to travel edgewise thru the air. This arrange- -ment also s reads the motors 9-9 on each side wall o the en ine room or passage 10, so that all the cylinders are` readily accessible to a 'man in the passage 10.

The thickness of the motors plus the width of the passage 10 for the man normally brings the thickness of the body 1 at this point to about the right amount to correspond to a double pilot control in front and a. double row of chairs to the rear without disturbing the streamline characteristics of the body. The inter-relations of these proportions is important, asthe s eed of the airplane isv as mucha function o its air resistance as it is a function of its power. The speed of an airplane maybe considered as the effective power divided by the air resistance, and the arrangement described is favorable to a high value of this ratio. This is principally due to the use of multiple' radial motors placed edgewise; and to further reduce the head resistancethe top of the body 6 and thelbottom of the body 7 `metal, or fiber' or flexible are carried as close to the top and the bottom 'dge of the motors 9-9 as is `feasible with reasonable working clearance, and the height of the pilotls and passengerls compartments is proportioned accordingly, having due regard to stream-lining. The purpose is to produce a body which for a given amount of power will pass thru the air With a minimum amountof resistance. The relative heights of airplane motors of the radial type and the human .body make the above arrangement feasible. i

The above arrangement requires gearing to deliver the motor power to the propellers 23, due to the fact that the motor crankshaft is transverse to the direction of motion of the airplane. But the disadvantages of gearing are minimized by two considerations; (1)' there is only'one set of gears required in each transmission, that is, the geared power only has to turn one corner instead of two, and (2) the use of gearing permits the' motors to run faster than the propellers, thus permitting lighter motors for the same horsepower and lmore eflicient propellers. Spiral bevel gears or gears of the hypoid type are preferable and should be run with ample lubrication which can be observed from the engine room. The drive shafts 15 and propeller shafts 16 are connected thru the gearing 17 'and mounted within the structure of 'the wings 5-5 by suitable bearings attached to the main wing beams or other ri 'd portions of the internal Wing structure. he drive shafts 15 are connected to their respective motors 9 b universal joints 18, which ma be of t e all 'sk type; these relieve the drive shafts` 15 from bending `stresses which may occur under flying conditions due to sli ht flexure of the. wino' `ttructure. The ang e between the drive shaft 15 and ropeller shaft 16 need not be exactly 90, ut is normally substantially a, right angle. w

The motors 9-9 may be water-cooled or air-cooled. If water 'cooled the radiators should be along the hull of the body 1 or of the Wingv radiator type, so as not to lose the advantages of minimum air resistance obtained by this type lof construction. With air cooled motors airpassages are provlded I in the forward body, and' may either be in the top as at 19, the sides as vat 20, or the bottom as at 21, or any or all in combination..

These may be in the form of louvres or large holes or other suitable orifices, conllucting' to cylinders which should preferably jacketed as is eustomary in sutomobile engines 'torsexten' -on the wings, pro

of the air cooled type, but in any case the external openings should make no unnecessary projections so` as not to disturb the the streamlining of the body 1, as the reduction of head resistance is most i'nportant to offset the gearing losses. I have referred to motors of the radial type. It will be understood' that this includes motors of the doubleradial, or multiple-radial type, as well as' the single radial type, that is, there may be more than one bank of radial cylinders driving the same crankshaft, provided that the length along the Crank shaft is less. than the diameter of the motor structure.

The air Cooling arrangements above described function chiefly by virtue of the air stream around the body 1 when the airplane is in flight. In order to supply the Cooling systems with a moderate amount of air from the propellers when the airplane is on the ground Warming up, ventilating holes 22 are also providedfurther back on the body l, so as to meetthe propeller blast, and may be opened or closed if desired in the manner of dash ventilat-ors such as are used on, automobiles for example.

VVhile the invention has been described in 'connection with a monoplane, it will be understood that it may equally as well be applied to a biplane or triplane, by mounting additional win s above the wings shown, for example; In iat case, however,'the wings suchas have been desci'ibed, which project from the body and carry the ropeller gearing, Will usually be thicker t an the wings used merely as supporting surfaces in flying.

In the foregoing the invention has been described in onepre erred embodiment thereof, but it will be, understood that' this is merely for pur oses of illustration, and that it is susceptihle to, various modifications and adaptations in different installations as w1ll body, wings, control 'surfaces, a pair 'of mo'.

tors of the radial type mounted m the'body on either side thereof so as to leavea Sage-way in between, the plane of 1 test d1- m'ension of the motor exten 2 in the same direetion as the direction of motion of the airplane and the axes of the motransversely to the direetion of motion of' e aixfilane, propellers mounted pe er shaft connected to said prope11ers,-drive shafts connected to said motors, the propeller sha-fts being at an angle to the drive shafts, and gearing between the drive shafts and the'propeller shafts.

2. In an air lane, the combination of a. body, a pair o 'm'otors of the radial type 'mounted ed w of flow of t e air stream around said body, the 'axes of said motors being trlnsverse to be aiparent to those' skilled in the art withf Wise in relation to the direction megane .the direction of said air stream, wings extendm .out from said body vat points substan- -tia y midway between the top and bottom thereof, propellers mounted on said wings, ropeller shafts connected to said propellers,

rive shaft connected to said motors, and

g'earing between the drive shafts and the propeller shafts.

` far above the said wm rection of flight of 3. In an airplane, the combination of 'a pair of wings, a body attached to saidwin ,said

' body being streamlined and ta ering orward from the wings and rearward rom the wings, the top of said body being substantiall as as the bottom o the body is below them, the forward end of said body having a pilot,s compartment, the rear- Ward portion having a load carrying compartment, radial motors spread upon the Walls of said body on either side thereof so as to leave a passageway in between connectlng the pilos compartment with the loadcarrying compartment, the axes of said motors ex- 'tending' transversely to the line of flight of lline with the axesof the ,radial motors, roipellers mounted' on the; wings, propler and the.

grafa connected w the prpeua. mi"

shafts, universal joints'connecting the drive shafts to their res t-ive motors, and gearing connecting the drive shafts to their respective 'propeller shafts.

. 5. Inan airplane,the combination ofa body, radial motors on the sides of the body with -a lpassagewa in between, the axes of said motors exten ing transversely to the direction of flight of the airplane, wingsex out from the body substantially on a line wi the axes of the radial moto1's,sEropellers mounted on the wings,prope1ler aftsconnected to the propellers, drive shafts connected to the motors, and a single reduction gearing between each motor andits respective propeller.

body, radial motors on the sides of the body with a passageway in between, the axes of said motors extending transversely to the direction of flight of the airplane, the said body extendin forward of said p to form a. pilot s compartment and exten rearward of said passag'eway to forni a Io way 6. In an airplane, the combination of a i carrying compartment, wings extending out from the body substantially on a level with the axes of said motors, p lers mounted onsaid wings, lrlopeller sha said propellers, 've shafts at an angle to 'said propeller shafts, universal joints' connecting' the drive shafts to their resepeotive motors,

connectedto and a single gearing between each drive shaft i and its respectivepro er slmft.`

In witness whereof have hereunto set my hand this 29th l11|. of November, 1927.

- i 1 BERT V. .MOBSE' 

